1. Executive Summary

Write this section last. It should be a page (no longer than 2) and include everything that you would cover in a five-minute pitch.

Introduce your company.

What product or service do you provide?

Who will you be selling to (who are your customers)?

What short term goals (1-2 years) and long term goals (3-5 years) do you have for your company?

What makes you unique and special?

2. Company Summary

This section describes your company. If you are writing a business plan for yourself, you may not need to complete this section. If you are writing the plan to get a loan or to attract investors or partners, then they will want to know about your company.

If you decide not to do this section, you SHOULD do the Startup Plan and Funding table.

This section includes:

Legal entity and ownership - the structure of your company (Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, LLC, Corporation- S or C corporation). If there is more than one owner, detail what percentage each owner owns.

Key employees of your business, such as Partners or the CEO, President and Vice President, etc., depending on the structure of your company.

Location and facilities - Depending on the type of business you have, the location and type of facilities may be more or less important. For a retail business, the location is very important. For a manufacturing business, the facility is more important.

If you plan to write a Mission Statement, you would include that here as well.

Startup and Funding Plan

You will have many startup expenses before you even begin operating your business. It's important to estimate these expenses accurately...